Suction cleaner



June 26, 1923.

H. E. HOOVER SUCTION cLEANE Filed Sept. 4, 1917 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jam 26, 1923. I 1,460,245

' r H; E. HOOVER SUCTI 0N CLEANER Filed Sept. 4 1917 s Sheets-Sheet 2 June 26, 1923. 1,460,245

H. E. HQQVER I sucmou CLEANER Filed Sept. 4, 1317 s Sheets-Sheet s ..-....A 0 H1, m

Wine 556,5.

Patented June 26, 1923.

was STATES PATENT; orrics. v

HOWD EARL HOOVER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGIYOB, BY HESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 1'0 THE HOOVER COMPANY, OF NORTH CANTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

'soo'rron stamina.

npplication filed September 4, 1917. awn Ito. 189,t31.

To allwhomz't may concern:

'Be it known that I, HOWARD EARL Hoover, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois. have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Suction Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to suction cleaners and particularly, to means for driving the m brush.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide convenient means or removing'and restoring to operative position ,the brush driving belt. Another-object of my invention is to utilize a friction drive having a.

convenient means for speed reduction. The

object of this speedreduction is to increase, the fan speed proportionally ,tothe brush speed. y 4 Another object of this invention is to combine a speed reduction devicewith an open belt thus diminishing the wear on the belt. Another object of the invention is to provide means for throwing out the brush driving mechanism when the converter is to be used thus avoiding unnecessary wear on the brush and at the same time securing an increased speedof the fan to increase the air induction in connection with the converter tools.

' Another object of this invention is to provide a low machine having a vertical motor.

This is accomplished by the use-of an open belt and the parts projecting up into the fan casing.

Another object is to put the center line of the brush pulley in the center of the brush so that the brush can be inserted without regard to the position of its ends. Other objects of my invention will appear from time to time as the description proceeds.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a bottomview of a portion of the suction cleaner with parts removed so as.

to expose the interior drive mechanism;

Figure 2 is a detail section at line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3' is a detail cross section ofa modification;

Figure 4 isa detail cross section of a fur- I ther modification;

Figure 5 is 'a bottom view with parts removed showing a modification;

' driving the fan.

.this or any other convenient means the stu run also on the pulley S of the brush C.

Figure 6 is a cross. section on line 6-6 of 5 Fig. 5;

ike parts are indicated by the same letter in all the figures A is the casing of a suction cleaner which .it will be understood is properly supported,

and is provided with a fan and means for The casing is provided with a nozzle B in which is rotatablymounted the brush C. The casing isalso provided with a handle and dust collecting bag not here shown. D is the driving shaft, preferably driven by the motor which drives'the fan. It is' provided at its lower'end with the beveled friction cone or drive E engaging the beve'led face of the friction pulley F which is secured to the belt pulley G. The two pulleys are on the same bushing H which is referably of wood, and adapted to run without oil and mounted on a stud.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 the bushing H is surrounded by the hub of the pulley which is provided with the outwardly projecting portion J having the friction point J of any desired material. The bushing H is mounted on thestud K which in turn is secured to the casing A and properl supported by means of the exterior nut the bearing M, bushing N and shoulder K abutting the inner edge of the bushing. BE

K may be secured in position on the casing The length of the stud is such that an interval is always left between the end of the partJ of the bushing H and the end of the stud. I a

P is a spring secured in any desired manner to part of the casing A and adapted to engage the end J of the hub. The spring tends to push the hub and its pulley and friction wheel toward the left so as to keep the friction wheel F yieldingly in operative engagement with the drive cone R is the belt on the pulley G adapted to In the modification shown in Figure 3 the m0 friction wheel and pulley with their hub H are mounted on the stud much as before. but the stud is provided with a washer T and between the washer and the casing'is a spiral spring U which encircles the stud K and tends to force the hub'pulley and friction wheel towardthe left as to keep 1 Q the friction wheel yieldingly in operative engagrment' with the friction drive. The stud v x responding flattened part of the washer T I v so as to prevent the same from rotating.

In Figure 4 I have shown a further modification where. most of the parts are substantiall as illustrated in Figure 1, but instead of t e flat spring P I have substituted a' I spring mechanism which consists of the projecting pin V, a 'slidable bearing piece V spiral spring and the slidin part V and tends to force the latter towa the left so as to cause this mounted on the outer end of the pin adated to engage the end J of the hub, an a V which surrounds the 'pin spring device to perform-the same function as the flat spring P.

' In the modlfication shown" in Figures 5 and 6 I have-shown an arrangement whereby the belt pulley is free from the other parts so as to permit the belt to be applied thereto.

or removed therefrom without passing bering now to this modi cation the beltpulley- G is placed as illustrated in the drawings on theleft hand side of the friction'wheel'so that the drivingshaft axis lies between'the -friction' wheel and thebelt pulley. The

spring mechanism is similar to that shown essaril be limited. I

I have shown two devices "which are in effect; substantially the samewhereby the cone and friction wheel can be supported andlocked out of operative relation. This device consists ot a rod W'which passes through an aperture in: the side of the cat;-

ingand is pivotedatjts outerfend at W; to a cam device W- associated with ahandle.

WK. By rocking this handle. downward the cam' will draw 'the rod toward the right.

The inner end of the rod is"v provided with a f0lk,-'W whichjn the structure shown inv Figures 1' and 2 engages the belt'pulley and f in the structure shown in 5.,and 6 enzagcsianannular slot W".

By the arrangement shown in 5 and 6} the jdrivingpulle. may be locked at one side of the driving s aft so that the pulley on the brush may be placed in" the middle of the brush this avoidingthe, disadvantageincident in having the pulley at one side of the. middle of the brush and obviatingthe necessity. of care in inserting the brush or "instructions to enable the user toplacethe l0 which keeps them always in proper i i king up for any wear,

brush prdperly in position.

The wearing" arts ofthe friction device are automatical y adjusted byv the spring Thearrangement is such as matches, sticks, pins and the lik'ezfollowv 7 the friction cone an is flattened at K to receivea coralso that a... dirt," dust and particularly larger particles such ing' along with thescurrent of air can pass between the drivin arts; that is between 5t BfllCtlOIl wheel with-- out in-any manner interfering with the action of the machine.

same structure may be applied to any of the "10 I 'In'eachof the forms here shown the inner [end of the s'tud is received in the hollow forms of the device. j This permits the clean exterior air. to enter andto pass into the chamber at the inner end of the stud and thence. to move outwardly along the bearing between the .hub and thestud so as to tend to keep the same clean.

By the arrangement here shown numerous advantages are obtained. The machine is a .low machine with a vertical motor and this ;is accomplished by putting the driving parts partly within the fan chamber.

size, roportion and arrangement of parts an ,very considerable modifications could be made without departing from the spirit of. my invention. Igwish thereforeto have my drawings taken asinasense diagrammatic or illustrative rather than as showing either a working drawing of an It is obvious that very material changes I operative device or as showing any form of structure to'which my invention must nec-' In -ig.-3 is shown a form'of means fortaking' the friction pulsfurther modified 100 f {-ley E out of Contact with the drivin pulley E when it is'desired to put the brus oi t of l operation.- 7 This consists in a screw-thread ed rod X provided. with athumb' screw 'X which isscrew-threaded-"in the casing, as

indicated, and has a rounded end X adapted to engage the curved-or rounded end" surface J oi the pulley hub'J. A rotation of this rod will; of cou'rse, niove it in against n the pulley. head andthrow' the pulley-out of engagement withthe pulley 'E, and even '.when this rod is moving up there is still s uflic1ent'spa ce for the operator to'move the pulley further back toward-the Spring so that e can pass thebelt over-the pulley F and disengageit. is a channel designed to fit the particular form of mech, anism intended to be'used; It is also.- obvious that the driving shaft or motor shaft'can; occupy any desired position in the plane at.

,in'the-stiid K When the pulley bearing of this stud is -in any manne'r worn, the air will pass-through the chair 'nel. through the bearing, "and timekeep it a suction 'cleaner caseprovided the latter be right angles to the driving shaft, or to the faces of the spring and the end of the hub,

' cone and driving wheel and then dropping,

and then on to the pulley, or by passing it between the two friction surfaces of the it on to the belt pulley, or by simply passing it over the end of the belt pulley and dropping it'into the belt pulley groove.

By the friction arrangement indicated,

is possible to get a speed reduction, and since the parts of the driving devices are separable, foreign substances can pass there- -through without causing any injury to the restored to machine. These parts being yieldingly held in operative relation will immediately be osition. v I

. When it is desired to operate the machine without driving the brush it can be accomplished by operating the cam thus separating and locking the friction wheel out ofengagement with the friction cone...

By placing the pulley-on the side away from t e driving mechanism the belt can be placed. on the driving pulleywithout passing between the-friction 0r drivin surfaces. K placing the pulley in the mid 1e of the brus as it is illustrated in Figure 5. the brush canbe easil put in position. -The cap or washer at t e end of the hub protects the bearings at that point. By making the driving connection between the motor shaft and the friction wheel u in between the blades of the fan I reduce t e height of the casing. In other words the driving mechanism is partly inner ends of the blades of the fan. p

By this apparatus and by having two speed reduction devices I can. run from one.

motor shaft both the fan and the brush at difierent s eds. This permits me to use a relatively igh speed fan with a relatively I low speed brush.

efiected by the beveled As previously explained the motor shaft can be setat any position so long as its axis is vertical to. the axis of the brush because the engagement between the two shafts is drive and the friction pulley.

I claim 1, In a suction cleaner the combination-jot v within the fan casing and between the I surfaces of the cone 2. In a suction cleaner the combination of v a motor with a brush, an intermediate mechanism whereby the, brush is driven by the motor, said mechanism including a stud secured at one end to the-casing and at the other rovided with a hub and cap said stud provi ed with a channel leading from outand a belt pulley connected to- 2 side of the casing to the interior of the cap 1 and hub bearing.

I 3. In a suction cleaner the combination of a motor with a brush, an intermediate speed reducing transmission mechanism and separatedriving connections between the motor and the transmission mechanism and the brush and the transmission mechanism, a stud upon which such secured at one end to the casing said stud being provided with achannel leading from the outside of the casing'to the interior thereof at the transmission mechanism. 4.. In a suction cleaner the combinationof a motor with a brush, an intermediate speed reducing friction pulley located between the motor and the brush, a stud secured in'the casing and carrying the pulley the stud being provided with an air c the outside of the casing to the interior thereof at the pulley.

5. In a suction cleaner the combination of mechanismis mounted annel leading from Y a motor with a brush, an intermediate mechanism whereby the brush is driven by the motor said mechanism including a shaft mounted on the casing and a pulley mounted on the shaft the shaft being provided with :1 channel leading-from the :outside of the a Q casing to the interior thereof adjacent to the pulley.

In testimony whereof, I aflix. my signature in the presence 22nd day 01fI Au st, 1917 Witnesses:

Mnmm M. Inmmxno,

' Lrnm M. SrnvANos.

ARD. EARL Hooves.

of. two witnesses this 

